Man facing execution in Missouri is innocent, supporters say
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Supporters of Missouri inmate Kimber Edwards say the state risks executing an innocent man if Edwards is put to death next week.
Edwards, a 51-year-old former St. Louis jailer, was convicted of hiring Orthell Wilson to kill his ex-wife, Kimberly Cantrell, in 2000 in her apartment in suburban St. Louis. Prosecutors said Edwards wanted Cantrell dead so he didn't have to pay child support.
Wilson was sentenced to life in prison after a plea deal in which he agreed to cooperate against Edwards. Meanwhile, Edwards confessed.
But Edwards' attorney, Jeremy Weis, and Tricia Bushnell of the Midwest Innocence Project say Wilson now says he lied to save himself from the death penalty. They say Edwards is autistic, and that played a role in a confession he now says was false.
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